"In my artwork, I tend to express different aspects of culture that may be seen as taboo by the majority society. This started years ago with a series of paintings I completed that depicted a number of body modifications and tribal rituals, including body suspension, lip sewing, corset piercing, tongue forking, and earlobe stretching.

    Since completing these paintings, I have moved to a different medium, of clay, to continue portraying these taboo subjects, as well as other personal issues, that pertain to my life. Currently, I am working on a series of life-size sculptures portraying issues of appearance as well as these taboo rituals, some of which I have participated in during my lifetime.

    I also work in clay to create numerous works of pottery, both functional and decorative. I get much of my inspiration for these works from Chinese and Japanese pottery and sculpture. I find the imperfections of these particular styles to be both beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

    Although I often work in clay to create pottery, I feel that I can express issues more important to me through my sculptural works. Whether others find my work beautiful or not, I feel that I have affected them in some way, allowing them to think about other cultures and rituals that they may not necessarily be familiar with."